Friday, November 11, 2011The News-Review, Veterans Day Tribute

SALUTE TO VETERANS

Roseburg Oregon, Page 3

Fighting on a new front

U.S. Army veteran and Roseburg native Zack LosBanos survived heavy combat in Iraq, but now faces a terminal cancer diagnosis
CRAIG REED The News-Review

hen the doctor walked into the room, bowed his head, quietly told Zack LosBanos he had terminal cancer and said he was sorry, the patient didnt take the news sitting down. I stood up and told him, Im going to beat the son of a bitch, LosBanos said. That was the training and experience of the soldier speaking. LosBanos had 16 months experience in front-line combat, having been deployed to the Iraqi War after enlisting in the U.S. Army in 2003. He was a student at Umpqua Community College and was working at the Bureau of Land Management when he decided to serve his country. His two duty positions during his deployment were assault team leader and sniper with elite light infantry and special operations forces. He saw death up close and had some close calls himself while involved in both overt and covert combat operations. His unit specialized in sending out teams to target, capture and neutralize insurgent terrorist cells that made and set improvised explosive devices. He survived those missions and the combat, although he did suffer some shrapnel wounds to his shoulder and knee. Between combat and cancer, I should be dead because of both, the 32-year-old

said. But combat was a great education for me in how to deal with the terminal cancer that I have now. I dont look at it as irony. Its just part of life that Ive been dealt. LosBanos, who has been a Roseburg resident since moving to the area with his family at age 8, was honorably discharged in 2007 after finishing his four-year enlistment. I owe all the credit for being here to the professional men who were on my team and who I served with, said the 1998 Roseburg High graduate. We all kept each other alive. We were mature professional soldiers who wanted to be there. We volunteered in the middle of a war, we werent drafted. Most of the guys on my six-man team had great professions and were successful in the civilian world before enlisting. We all had the same calling. That made it easy to slug it out on a day-to-day basis because of the committed, professional mentality of the men I served with. There isnt a day that passes that I dont think about my teammates, he added. And the terror and horror of combat which we endured together. I also remember the brave heroes who had fought before me like my grandpa Almon, my grandpa Alfred, my friend Chip, my best friend, Salvador, who saved my life in Turn to LOSBANOS, page 13

Photo courtesy of Zack LosBanos

Zack LosBanos of Roseburg holds his daughter, Olivia, in a recent photo. The survivor of combat operations in Iraq says his child inspires him to fight against the cancer his doctor says is terminal.

Dr. Rick Campbell and Staff

541-672-4732
www.campbellfamilydentistry.net

Friday, November 11, 2011The News-Review, Veterans Day Tribute

SALUTE TO VETERANS
I do not want any credit for my military service, he explained. However, if I end up dying from cancer in the next few years and dont get the chance to express it myself to our daughter Olivia when shes older, I want her to be able to read this and to always have the credit and honor of her fathers military service. He thanked many for helping him be strong in dealing with his health. I owe my daily survival of cancer to my immediate family, friends, doctors and most of all to my daughter, Olivia, he said. She has given me the strength and will to want to survive and fight this horrible disease day in and day out. I also want to thank my fishing buddies for getting me down to the fishing hole everyday while I was sick from chemotherapy. Thanks A.D., Lyle and Uncle Merrill. Tom Tipton, a Vietnam War veteran who like LosBanos was a team leader and was in combat, said his friend is not one to give up. Hes not one to throw his hands in the air and surrender, Tipton said. Thats not a part of him. Hes a real conscientious guy who is committed to his men and to the values of the army. He volunteered, he didnt get drafted. Hes definitely one you want to be with when the chips are down.

Roseburg Oregon, Page 13

LosBanos: Multiple myeloma causes chronic pain, fatigue

Continued from page 3 Baghdad, and my beloved brother in arms, Uncle Merrill. These men all saved my life in combat in one way or another. After returning home to Roseburg, LosBanos knew something was wrong because of his weight loss and chronic pain throughout his body. At first he thought he was hurt from combat. Within his first month back, he used the resources at the VA Roseburg Healthcare System to help with his adjustment to civilian life. Dr. Jack Finney at the VA has been a tremendous support system for me in the transition from warrior to citizen, LosBanos said. His health progressively got worse, however. He had spells of passing out and getting the shakes. He then started feeling lumps under his skin. He finally traveled north for an appointment with the oncology department at the Portland VA. A biopsy was done of his lymph nodes and a doctor delivered the cancer news to the soldier. LosBanos had multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. He said his oncologists told him they believed his cancer was a result of the sensitive operations with which he was involved in Iraq. They said I was one of the youngest patients theyd ever seen with this disease, LosBanos said. They said usually youre in your 60s or 70s when you have this. I had bone lesions on my skeletal system and lymph node soft tissue lumps. He had surgery to remove cancerous lumps from around his throat and neck. LosBanos was inspired to fight the disease not only for himself, but also for his future child. His wife was pregnant when he was told of his cancer. My prognosis was not very good, they said only a few months, he said. I chose to try to use the courage I used in war in combating cancer. I wanted to live long LosBanos now spends much of his time in his garage thats been converted into a woodshop. He makes wood items for supportive neighbors who have provided him with dinners and mowed his lawn. The soldier said he doesnt feel sorry for himself and is not angry about the cancer. He said its simply part of the sacrifice he chose to make in serving his country. Even knowing the outcome, I would still do it over again, he said of his military duty. Its the greatest honor of my life to have served with the most elite men in the military to combat terrorism for the U.S. of America and to also have joined ranks with all the other veterans both in my family and in our nation who have served and sacrificed for our country. Every day Ive been alive since my combat experience has been a blessing because many of our comrades have not lived past the age of 18, he added. Even having a terminal disease and knowing how hard it is on a daily basis to deal with, I still have a commitment and duty to live my life to the fullest to honor all of our nations fallen comrades. You can reach Features Editor Craig Reed at 541-957-4210 or by email at creed@nrtoday.com.

Photos courtesy of Zack LosBanos

1998 Roseburg High School graduate Zack LosBanos is seen carrying out some of his Army duties in Iraq. He was a team leader and sniper with elite light infantry and special operations forces. enough to see our child born. He did, and Olivia was born Nov. 18, 2009. It was the most magical thing I had ever experienced, he said. Two weeks later, LosBanos went to Seattle for a bone marrow transplant. He was told hed be in remission for about two years. But four months after the transplant, cancer was detected again in his bone marrow. Hes endured high dose chemotherapy and is now only a week away from being able to celebrate Olivias second birthday with her. I fight chronic pain, chronic fatigue every day, but I like it because it reinforces the fact I still have a chance to live every day, he said. He also said he realizes the odds are against him. For that reason and for his daughter, he agreed to being interviewed for this story.

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